2

FORGE

be extended with a Board Manager to work with
the ESP8266. Many hackers will have experience
of the Arduino IDE in other projects. Many sketches
and libraries developed for the Arduino series of
computers can be used on the ESP8266 – a huge
advantage, given the wealth of Arduino applications.
The Arduino IDE runs on PCs using the Linux,
Windows, and macOS operating systems. Go the
Arduino site arduino.cc and download the appropriate
version for your computer.
To set up the Arduino IDE for ESP8266 boards,
follow the straightforward instructions at
hsmag.cc/AmcDAQ.
Once this is complete, select the correct board
in the IDE by using Tools / Board and choosing
NodeMCU 1.0.
The two libraries are needed for this project –
SSD1306.h for the OLED and VL53L0X.h for the
IR rangefinder.

The first must be downloaded from GitHub at
hsmag.cc/xGrpjJ.

1. On the webpage, select Clone or download,
   then Download .ZIP.


2. Note where the .ZIP file is downloaded.


3. In the Arduino IDE, use the feature at Sketch

   
   

   Include Library > Add .ZIP library to install it.

   
   

   
   

The second library can be directly loaded in the
Arduino IDE using:

1. In the Arduino IDE, select Sketch > Include
   Library > Manage Libraries.


2. This will display a new window. The IDE

will contact a server to update a reasonably

comprehensive list of libraries available. Once

this has finished, type VL53L0X in the filter

box to find library for this project, the VL53L0X

library from Pololu.

3. Click More Info, select the latest version, and
   then Install.

LOOKING SKETCHY

The sketch, IOT-IRdistance.ino, is available to

download from the GitHub repository at

hsmag.cc/dtJPRT.

In this sketch, libraries used are included first.

#include “SSD1306.h”

// library for display

#include <Wire.h>

// I2C library

#include <VL53L0X.h>

// laser rangefinder library

The I^2 C connections used are detailed.

//I2C connections

#define SDA 0

//GPIO0 / D3

#define SCL 2

//GPIO2 / D4

Above

There are loads of

add-ons available

to give more

capabilities to the

basic Arduino IDE

Boards based on the ESP8266 are not only very

cheap, but have the essentials for an Internet of

Things project:

• General Purpose Input / Output pins


• Integrated WiFi with TCP/IP stack


• EEPROM for program storage


• Low-power mode


• I^2 C and SPI interfaces


• Programmed via the Arduino IDE

The ESP01 is a basic board with few GPIOs, and no

direct access to the low-power mode. The ESP12E

board is easier to use, has more GPIOs, an analogue

input, and low-power mode. The NodeMCU V1.0

board adds to the ESP12E all the necessary external

components and a micro-USB interface for direct

connection to a PC for programming, making it ideal

for a first project.

ESP8266 BOARDS

YOU’LL NEED

NodeMCU v.1.0

VL53L0X sensor

module

0.96”, 128 × 64

pixel, OLED

display

Two mini

breadboards